Kids Say The Darnedest Things, Continued....

While sitting on a patio chair in my parents' backyard this weekend with Alexis sitting on my lap, Nicky comes over, grabs her wrist with both hands and tries to twist her arm off.
Me: "Hey! Stop that! You can't twist her arm off!"
Nicholas: "Oh. I thought she was a plant."

AOL....

From the NY Times:

"
...America Online confirmed that sales representatives receive bonuses to keep consumers from leaving......According to Mr. Spitzer's office, internal office brochures trumpeted how employees could earn a bonus as high as $3,115 a month by recording 975 "saves."
"

I'm surprised that AOL has lasted this long. I've rarely used it and I can't figure out why people still subscribe to it. You can find free email accounts from various sites with tons of storage, so that can't be the reason people stay with AOL.

You used to only be able to connect to the internet via the phone line with a dial-up modem. But these days everyone has cable modem or DSL access - and those are cheaper than AOL. So that can't be the reason people stay with AOL.

What am I missing? I can't figure out why people haven't cancelled their AOL services or even why people sign up for new accounts. What does AOL have to offer that I'm missing out on?

Kids Say The Darnedest Things....

From a conversation last night between Nicky (4 yrs) and my wife:

Nicky: "Mommy, why did you marry daddy when he was nobody?"

All 3 Kids....

More photos can be seen at http://photos.yahoo.com/mjdabney in the "Summer 2005" album. Enjoy!

My Son Thomas....

My Hat Goes Off To Jerome Williams....

Jerome Williams was waived by the Knicks this week under the "Allan Houston" amnesty rule. He essentianly was released of all his duties while still getting the remaining 19 million left on his contract. As opposed to the other 17 players released in the NBA who are signing with new teams, he decided to retire so he could continue to work on the youth programs he set up recently in New York.

"I'm still getting paid by the Knicks," he said. "I'm feeling a little obligated to not only carry out what I promised to those kids, but also still working for my money."
Through his foundation, the J.Y.D. Project, and with support from the Knicks, Williams and his brother Johnnie have put on a number of motivational events urging youngsters of all ages to stay in school, devote themselves to their studies and prepare for college. They have so far taken their message through Brooklyn, the Bronx, Yonkers and Harlem.
"I told a lot of kids I was going to be back," Williams said.

Jerome is one of those athletes that not only talks the talk, but walks the walk.

He should be the one in the headlines, not some selfish wide receiver with a multi-million dollar contract crying for more money.

Hello. My Name Is Inigo Montoya. You Killed My Father. Prepare To Die....

"The Princess Bride" is coming to Broadway!
No dates are set yet since the making of the play is still in the works, but I can't wait! (Of course if you've never seen the movie you have no idea what the post title means and you're no where near as excited as I am. Your loss)

Why It's Better To Be A Woman....

1. When a ship sinks, women (and children) get off first.
2. A woman can hug her best friend without worrying she'll think she's gay.
3. Women can talk to attractive members of the opposite sex without having to picture them naked.
4. A woman can never be blamed if it's wet on the floor around the toilet bowl.
5. If a woman cheats on her spouse everyone will assume it's because she was being emotionally neglected.
6. Women are capable of doing at least two different things to a passable standard at the same time.
7. Women live longer than men.
8. Women know how to cover up spots and other facial blemishes.
9. If a woman inexplicably disappears for two weeks, one of her friends will notice.
10. Women mature earlier than men (some men never mature at all).
11. There are times when chocolate is really the answer to all woman's problems.
12. Women don't feel uncomfortable with gay waiters or hairdressers.
13. A woman can fully assess a person just by looking at their shoes.
14. Women know the truth about whether size matters...
15. A woman can take a drive without trying to beat her best time.
16. If a woman forgets to shave, no-one has to know.
17. Women are capable of going longer than five minutes without thinking about either sex or football.
18. Women never lust after a cartoon character or the central figure in a computer game.
19. Women can be groupies. Male groupies are stalkers.
20. Women can cry and get off a speeding ticket.
21. A woman can get a whole new lease on life just by changing her lipstick.
22. A woman can congratulate her team-mate without ever touching her rear.
23. Women don't have to worry about catching anything important in their zipper.
24. If a woman says something stupid, most men will just think she's cute.
25. Women can admit to others when they've made a mistake
26. If a woman cries, she's sensitive; if a man cries, he's a wimp.
27. Women know who their children are without having a DNA test.
28. It's cool to be a daddy's girl. It's sad to be a mummy's boy.
29. Women can wear platforms - which is why there is no such thing as a short woman's complex.
30. Women can watch one TV channel at a time without getting bored.
31. Women have total control over their eyebrows.
32. Women can get drunk quicker and cheaper than men.
33. A woman's friend won't try to persuade her to get a tattoo while she's drunk.
34. A woman won't drive to Hell and back before she asks for directions.
35. Women aren't covered with hair like shag carpeting.
36. Woman don't feel threatened if their partner earns more than they do.
37. For women, a new season means a whole new wardrobe.
38. Women know exactly what buttons to push to get exactly what they want.
39. Women don't think reading the manual is a betrayal of all their species stands for.
40. Women can keep pot plants alive for more than a week.

It's time....

Tonight is a big night for me. I will be taking my daughter Alexis (9 months) with me to Home Depot. It will be her first trip to the store. My boys like going. Especially Thomas (2.5 years). Quick story:

This past weekend we spent in Langhorne, PA (see previous post). Friday night we went to dinner at Chili's in a strip mall that had a Home Depot in it as well. Saturday when we go into the van to leave Sesame Place and head back to the hotel, the boys didn't want to leave. We told them it was time to leave and they had no choice. When asked if he wanted to go back to the hotel and go in the pool, Thomas said "No. I want to go to Home Depot." We asked, "You want to go home?" He said "No. Home Depot."

I just love that kid. Hopefully Alexis will grow that type of appreciation for the store also.

Sesame Place....

This past weekend a group of us went to Sesame Place. It was me, Jennie, Nicholas, Thomas, Alexis, my mom, my dad, and my sister.

Friday Night
The drive was unexpectedly quick. Only about 1.5 hours. We hit very little traffic. We took all of our stuff up to the rooms then headed out for dinner. After dinner, we hit the pool. Nicholas and Thomas spent the whole time jumping in, climbing out, then jumping in again. It's amazing how fearless Nicholas is. We had to keep within arm's distance of him since he'd jump in whether or not anyone was there to catch him.

Saturday
The park opened at 10:00am. That is a lot of time to kill when your kids are up by 7am. 10:00am is too late of an opening time in my opinion. The park was only a two minute ride from the hotel, so getting there was no problem. Basically all we had to do was follow the line of minivans to get there. We had planned to do the non-water rides in the morning, then hit the water in the afternoon when it got hotter. The plan worked. We took the boys on Big Bird's Balloon Race then to the Nets 'n' Climbs. This was my personal favorite. It's basically a 3 story high maze of nets and tunnels. Nicholas could have stayed on there all day. I got to crawl/climb around in/on it to keep up with Nick. We had to cut short the time on the nets to attent Elmo's World Live! The show was cute. The kids got to see Elmo live and in person and Elmo even rubbed Nicky's belly, so Nicky had a blast. After that Nicky and TJ played on Cookie Mountain. A big pyramid made of blue vinyl that the kids could climb up to the top and slide down. Over and over. Nick had no problem climbing all the way to the top, but Thomas had his own self-imposed limits and would only climb 3/4 of the way up then slide back down. After that we had some lunch, checked out the parade, then headed to the locker room to change into bathing suits. The first place we went to was Count's Fount. The water was about 12" deep and there were a couple of waterfalls that splashed down. That was fun for about 10 minutes. Then it was off to find another water activity for the boys. Big Bird's Rambling River? Teeny Tiny Tidal Wave? Ernie's Water Works? Sand Castle Beach? No, no, no, and no. The were all "too little" for Nicky. He wanted bigger, deeper water to play in. There was nothing there for him to swim in. Finally he agreed to go on Sky Splash. "Sky Splash, one of the most popular attractions at Sesame Place, allows up to six guests to ride together in a large raft-like tube. Riders glide under an array of whimsical oversized toys, such as an 8-foot Rubber Duckie, giant Tinker Toys and much more. Rising more than 6 stories, this exhilarating ride provides thrills and surprises every moment, taking riders from gentle “sky” ponds with whirlpool-like jet streams to accelerator slides with speeds up to 20 feet per second, culminating with a final plunge into a pool of water" Thomas wanted to go on also. So my sister, Nicky, TJ, and I got on line. An hour later, we rode down the slide in our tube. The ride was fun and Thomas laughed the whole way down. It was the first time all day that he really enjoyed himself, so the wait was definitely worth it. After that Nicky spent some time in Mumford's Water Maze. Another of Nicky's favorite attractions. After that, we had some ice cream, stopped in the gift shop and headed back to the hotel. Overall, a pleasant day. The boys had fun. The park was just o.k. Was a lot smaller than I had anticipated. Not enough stuff for the kids to do - especially for Alexis. If it weren't for the names of the rides and a picture or two here and there, you'd have never have known it was Sesame Place. I'm told Disneyworld is a whole lot better, and I'll be going there in October, so I'll have something to compare it to now.

To sum it up:

• The boys had a blast. Nicky was not afraid to try anything, but he was in his "big boy" mode and didn't want to go on any of the attractions that were too small. Thomas was his usual reserved self and took some time to warm up to things, but when he did, he enjoyed himself. Alexis had basically nothing to go on, but she had fun being wheeled around in the stroller and being held.
• Yes, I would go back again, but in a couple of years. Sesame Place is definitely not worthy of one of those places that you make an annual trip with the family to.
• Next time I would make it a day trip. It's a lot closer that I originally thought and you can do the whole park in one day. No need to sleep over and check out the park a second day.

Has anyone else ever been there? How long ago? What are your memories of the place?

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Should an asterisk be put in the record books for the recent accomplishments made by MLB players? Should Barry Bonds' 73 home runs be removed from the books? Should players who have tested positive for steroids be striken from the record books? Removed from the hall of fame?